The article demonstrates a method for the development of effective molecular catalysts based on first row transition metals for effective reduction of CO2 to carbon monoxide in an aqueous medium (DOI: 10.1002/anie.201701104).

Carbon monoxide is an industrially important feedstock for the chemical industry in the synthesis of hydrocarbons as synthetic fuels, and for the preparation of bulk oxygenated compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes and carboxylates. As carbon monoxide is currently produced from fossil fuels, the selective reduction of CO2 would represent a valuable and green approach for the synthesis of this important carbon building block for the chemical industry.

In this new paper, CADIAC chemists demonstrate how the CO2-to-CO reduction activity of a cobalt molecular catalyst can be significantly enhanced upon immobilization onto carbon nanotubes. This work highlights the significance of assessing an immobilized molecular catalyst compared to the homogeneous measurements alone.